The present invention generally resides in a printable wristband form. More particularly, the present invention resides in a wristband form having a plurality of wristbands and a release liner disposed only between the layers of the sheet in a single region defined by wristband release tabs.
Identification bands, such as a wristband, bracelet, or other closed-loop identification device are generally known in the art. These bands carry some form of information concerning an identified object. Wristbands typically comprise an elongated flexible strap formed from plastic material or the like.
Wristbands are used in many applications, including particularly in hospitals or the like for patients upon admission. In such instances, when a patient is admitted, information is taken from the patient with respect to his or her medical history, and, during the course of the patient's stay, it is not unlikely that various kinds of medications and treatments are given to the patient. For these reasons, and others, it is important to keep track of the patients in a reliable manner with an identification band which will withstand the vagaries of a hospital environment. Such hospital bracelets or wristbands have been in use for many years. More recently, such wristbands have been formed as blanks in a sheet of material, with the wristband having information, including oftentimes a barcode, relating to or identifying the patient.
One very common situation in a hospital setting is when a pregnant mother is admitted or otherwise processed in connection with the birth of her baby. The mother, and perhaps the father, upon admission would need to be given a wristband identifying the parents. Typically a few hours later, the newborn baby would need at least one, and possibly two, wristbands (for the infant's wrist and/or ankle). Typically, information will be provided on the wristband as it relates to the mother as a patient and also as the parent of the newborn baby. The newborn baby's information on the wristband would also include necessary medical information as a patient, as well as identification that the baby belonged to his or her parents. Typically, the father's information on the wristband will only pertain to his association with the mother and baby.
It will be appreciated that the size of the wristbands required for the parents and the newborn infant are quite different from one another. The infant's wristband will of necessity be smaller in size so as to be secured around the infant's ankle or wrist. The parents' wristbands, on the other hand, will need to be much larger to fit around their wrists. Another consideration is that the infant's wristband must still have a sufficiently large portion so as to provide the necessary identification and medical information. It will be appreciated that there are other situations where adults and children, such as parents and children, may need to be issued wristbands for admittance, tracking, etc. Having a form or sheet with only large or adult sized wristbands and another form or sheet having smaller child or infant wristbands is easier to manufacture and produce, but yields complications in use. It would be much easier for the end user to be able to print a single sheet or form having a plurality of wristbands to accommodate both the parents and the child.
This is particularly the case in the hospital maternity setting in which there have been instances in the past where babies and parents have been misidentified and parents have actually raised the wrong child. In order to avoid these mistakes, a single sheet having wristbands for both the parents as well as the newborn infant is preferred as it will be easier for the hospital staff to correlate the parents with the newborn baby. Thus, an object of the present invention is to combine on a single form the wristbands necessary so that software may be conveniently written to allow its automatic processing by the admitting clerk all at the same time without re-loading paper trays on printers or requiring additional printers. This ensures that the same, and correct, identifying information is printed on the bands, which also provides additional security for the baby and family as an aid in preventing unauthorized people from gaining access to the baby and also helps prevent any mistaken identity by the medical personnel in relating the baby to his/her correct parents.
It has become common practice that such wristbands have a release tab formed typically at an end thereof which can be pulled away to expose adhesive such that the one end of the wristband can be attached to another portion of the wristband to encircle about the object to be identified, such as a wrist of a patient, and be retained in place. The release tab requires a release liner to be disposed between the multiple layers or plys of the form or sheet. The release liner, typically a silicone-based material, allows the release tab to be easily removed. However, the release liner material often presents manufacturing and even end user printing difficulties. The release liner material and adhesives tend to ooze and create jamming during manufacturing of the forms. This requires periodic stoppage of the dies and machinery, which then need to be cleaned. When printing, if the release liner or adhesive material oozes from between the layers of the form, it can create jamming of the printer. A release liner disposed over a large portion of the form can also result in the undesirable peeling of the layers from one another.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a printable wristband form which minimizes the problems associated with release liner and adhesive oozing and unintended separation of layers of the wristband. What is also needed is a printable wristband form which is specifically designed and configured for use by both adults and children, such as in a maternity setting. The present invention fulfills these needs, and provides other related advantages.